Meridian: Squad 22

I track decision points in strategy games the way some people track calories, so when a solo-developed RTS markets itself on tactical choice, I pay attention. Meridian: Squad 22 is the sequel to Meridian: New World, and it lands in a comfortable middle ground: competent enough to hold your attention across its campaign, shallow enough to frustrate anyone who showed up expecting layered late-game decision trees. The core loop is base building anchored around Shardium, the game's single resource, collected via drones. You build up your perimeter, repel alien waves, and push out to complete objectives that range from pure defense to search-and-destroy. The unit roster covers land, sea, and air, with naval ships like the offensive Cyclone, the defensive Hellbringer, and the economy-focused Scavenger adding a welcome dimension that many small-budget sci-fi RTS titles skip entirely. The rock-paper-scissors counter system means you cannot simply mass one unit type and win, which is the minimum bar I expect, and Squad 22 clears it. The real selling point, though, is the research system: canisters are scattered across maps and you choose which tech branch to unlock next, meaning you can commit to an aggressive rush playstyle or turtle behind fortifications - both approaches are viable, and that flexibility gives the campaign some genuine replay texture. Hero units appear in the campaign and bring above-average health pools that help offset an AI that compensates for thin variety by leaning on tech advantages. It is a blunt design solution, but it works better than it should. The three modes - the main campaign at 10-plus hours, Squad Missions (fixed-unit scenario challenges), and Planetary Conquest with over 100 procedurally generated skirmishes - represent solid content for the price bracket. Conquest in particular is where the loop holds up longest, chaining hex-zone skirmishes across the planet surface. That said, the warts are real. Pathfinding causes units to snag on buildings and each other with frustrating regularity. Hotkey support and squad control feel like they were borrowed from 2004 and never updated. The campaign's nine missions and its story - flat characters, telegraphed plot - add almost nothing to the mechanical experience. The difficulty curve spikes hard after gentle early missions, and the tutorial does a poor job of explaining resource management and combat priorities, which will confuse genuinely new players despite the game being otherwise approachable. Critics sitting on a collective average around 57 out of 100 reflect exactly this split: the foundation works, the ceiling is low. For RTS newcomers who find Command and Conquer or StarCraft intimidating, Squad 22 is a legitimate stepping stone - a solo-developed title with impressive visual fidelity, a branching research tree, and enough content to justify the sub-10-dollar sale price it frequently hits. Veterans will bounce off the shallow unit pool and predictable AI within a few hours. Manage those expectations and there is a pleasant, if unambitious, sci-fi skirmish game hiding here. Diego, Scout Team

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